Party Night
by Shadow Oblivion
Summary: William disliked parties with a passion, yet there he was at one of the parties Ronald Knox had spoken of. Only...one, where was Grell and two, why should it matter to him whether Grell was there or not? -two-shot- WxG
1. Chapter 1

Yeah, another William/Grell fic. It was inspired from the scene in the manga where Ronald Knox wants to get work over with so he can go to a party. William had his 'I do not approve' face. An idea sparked and this was written.

It was also inspired because, somewhere on another site, there was a scanned picture showing Grell in a dress (supposedly a design for the next Kuroshitsuji musical or something to do with the series). So, of course, I had to write something about that, and how William might react.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Kuroshitsuji.

* * *

It was half past midnight, and he was late. Grell knew he would be late because of his detour, but he had hoped it would have been worth it. Of course, Grell's earlier encounter hadn't gone the way he had envisioned it.

Grell limped further away from the Phantomhive mansion. He knew that he shouldn't have bothered trying to talk Sebastian into going to a party with him. Grell should have foreseen what would happen, but he had decided to be hopeful that his charm might have worked this time. The mansion was out of view by now, as Grell started down a street, silently relieved that no one out this late at night paid him any mind. Although there had been some curious stares. Grell was now headed in the direction of the building where Ronald Knox had said the party was going to be held.

Wincing as he walked, Grell sighed miserably. What he really wanted to do right now was to go straight home and curl up underneath some blankets and cry. Sebastian's cold dismissal and subsequent roughing up (including the ruining of his clothing, ect.) earlier had been more forceful than usual...Maybe it was because of the dress he had worn. Grell really couldn't think of any other reason why Sebastian would have reacted the way he did.

Ten minutes earlier...

Grell straightened his outfit again, nervous. He was within the Phantomhive mansion grounds, and was making his way to the front of the mansion. Grell had decided to stop by on the way to the party, to see if Sebastian would go with him. After all, a lady should have someone to escort her, especially so late at night. Who knows what might be lurking in the alleyways? Grell smiled to himself as he got closer. He stopped directly in front of the front door, assuming that Sebastian had already sensed his presence. Grell shifted his stance. He was wearing a red and black dress that fit his frame perfectly, the right side cut in a way that showed off the leg. Grell thought that between the dress and his spruced up hair, he looked quite nice. He had wanted to dress up for the party tonight.

Grell broke out of his thoughts on his outfit, sensing that Sebastian was headed for the door. Grell heard the click, and smiled when Sebastian opened the door, "Hello~. Sebas-chan~." So intent on making sure he was standing in a seductive pose, Grell missed Sebastian cover his face with one hand and sigh in an exasperated way.

Sebastian didn't know what to say. He had sensed the shinigami's presence, and went to investigate. Sebastian caught sight of Grell's clothing, and closed his eyes, drawing in a breath. It couldn't be a dress, he was imagining things. Sebastian opened his eyes once more.

Grell looked back at Sebastian after the demon dropped his hand to his side. With a light smile, Grell spoke, "Are you busy tonight? There's a party, and a lady needs an escort in the night~."

Sebastian kept his eyes on Grell's face, once he had realized that the redheaded shinigami was indeed wearing a dress. Sebastian had just put Ciel to bed twenty minutes ago and had completed his nighttime wandering of the mansion. He thought the rest of the night would be quiet...before Grell showed up. Seeing Grell's hopeful expression, Sebastian realized that the reaper hadn't thrown himself at him, yet. Sebastian considered what to do to get Grell to leave with the least amount of fuss. He didn't want to wake the young master. Now then...

Grell took a step back when he saw Sebastian start toward him with a determined look, "Sebas...?" Why did Sebastian already looking like he wanted to get rid of him?

"If you could leave right now, it would be greatly appreciated," Sebastian said with a thin smile. He had no desire to deal with Grell and his odd requests tonight.

Grell started to walk backwards, half of him telling him to run for it, the other half telling him to keep trying. Grell figured he could always crawl home if something went wrong. Surely taking a risk, Grell suddenly lunged forward, causing Sebastian to stop and prevent the shinigami from catching him in a hug. Grell didn't have a chance to say anything, and instead winced as Sebastian tightened his grip on his shoulders.

Sebastian smiled pleasantly at the squirming redhead, "I should warn you that I'm not in the best of moods. Do you still insist on trying to...persuade me?"

Grell swallowed nervously at the cold voice, thinking he should really just leave. Before anything bad happened. Too bad his body already had a mind of its own.

Sebastian was taken aback as Grell broke his hold on him, and snuggled up against his chest, wrapping his arms around him. What did Grell think he was doing?

Twitch.

Grell knew this probably wasn't the best idea, but he was going to enjoy it while it lasted.

"...I guess you didn't take my warnings seriously. Very well then."

A minute and a half later...

Grell lay on the ground, not even caring for the moment that during the short fight Sebastian had managed to rip parts of the dress and make some scratches and bruises. Sebastian had gone back into the mansion as soon as Grell had hit the ground and stayed there. Sebastian had assumed that Grell would leave once he got up. While this hurt Grell's feelings, he was silently glad he had his deathscythe back. Otherwise, Sebastian would have been able to inflict more damage.

Grell sat up, biting his lip lightly as he tested for breaks. His right leg hurt, but at least it wasn't broken. He couldn't remember having been hit there. Well...Grell supposed he could have missed it. At least it appeared as though Sebastian caused no lasting damage. The brief fight had gone by in flashes, and Grell had been focused on trying to not get hurt. It had gone better than when he had fought with Sebastian during the Jack the Ripper case. Grell stood up, frowning all of a sudden. His dress was a wreck.

Present time...

Grell shook his head. He should have known better, but he had at least wanted to try. Grell looked up at his surroundings, and changed directions, deciding to stop by his home after all to grab his red coat. The stop by the house was swift, and Grell went back to heading in the direction of the party, pulling the red coat on and over his ruined outfit. He had decide against changing out of it. Grell had wanted to show it off to Sebastian, but had also wanted to show William. The dark-haired shinigami was supposed to be at the party, making sure nothing got out of hand. That was the only reason Grell was still going to the party at all, and he could only hope that William wouldn't give him a cold dismissal as well. Grell didn't think he could handle two rejections in one night.

As Grell drew nearer to the building, he became hesitant. Would William be upset with him for going to see Sebastian? Probably. Grell sighed as he reached out and opened the door. Only one way to find out. Grell slipped into the building and closed the door behind him quietly. Seeing where he was, Grell started to walk along the quiet hallway in the direction of the ballroom. He could hear the sounds of happy party goers. Grell stopped in front of the ballroom door, and inched it open enough to peer inside.

Everyone looked to be having a good time, many of the shinigami dressed rather fancily. Grell smiled when he spotted William looking disapprovingly at an almost drunk Ronald Knox. Poor Will was probably none too happy to be there. Grell wondered vaguely why the expression William wore appeared to be agitated. It seemed to be directed at something other than those in the room drinking themselves silly and generally having a good time.

Grell sighed softly. He couldn't do it after all. He felt like a wreck compared to the others. Grell couldn't let William see him like this. William looked so...nice and formal looking as he usually did, but wearing a dark blue tie instead of a black one. An attempt to be somewhat festive for the party, which made Grell's lips twitch into a faint smile. Grell gazed at William for awhile longer, before sighing wistfully. He really should leave, so he could avoid being detected by William...

Grell looked back inside the room, and saw William looking around. Apparently not seeing what he was looking for, William threw one final glare at Knox, before turning and...heading for the door. Grell let out a silent gasp as he shut the door as silently as he could. Panicking, Grell looked around frantically for somewhere to hide. Why was William deciding to leave the room _now_? Couldn't he have waited a little longer? Hearing the steady footsteps draw nearer, Grell walked hurriedly down the hall, trying not to make a lot of noise. Seeing William come out of the ball room and walk in his direction, Grell quickly darted behind a pillar.

Grell leaned heavily against the pillar, closing his eyes and hoping that William hadn't seen him. Grell really didn't think he could face the dark-haired man in this state. He'd more than likely break down if William asked him anything. He didn't want that to happen.

"Grell Sutcliff...what are you doing?"

Grell bit his lip. He had been spotted after all. What was he supposed to do now? Grell took a shuddering breath, trying to calm his nerves, but failing for the most part. No point in hiding now that William had spotted him. William would expect a response to his question. Grell slowly peeked out from behind the pillar to look at William, and said, with a tired smile, "Hello, Will."

121

William disliked parties with a passion, so he avoided them whenever it was possible. William especially avoided the parties that Ronald Know spoke of going to. One, it made one get behind in work, which caused overtime, and two, it was highly inappropriate and surely there was a rule against it somewhere. He just hadn't found it yet. Parties weren't looked down upon, but the parties Ronald frequented were treading dangerously close to being canceled altogether. Too bad William couldn't find reason enough to put a stop to them.

So why was the dark-haired shinigami thinking about all of this at the moment? It was because he was at one of the parties he had been trying to avoid. William was merely there this night to observe and make sure nothing got too out of hand. After seeing all of the alcohol, William silently decided that the night was more than likely going to get out of hand anyway. Ronald Knox had requested him specifically for tonight, and William didn't have enough of a reason to decline. William didn't even want to be there in the first place, but Ronald had told him that he was the only one likely to remain sober, therefore perfect for the role of the observer.

It didn't make William any happier to be there.

William cast his gaze around the ballroom where the party was taking place and settled his frown on a group of drunk, giggly shinigami. Ronald was with them and appeared to be well on his way to the drunken state, chugging down drink after drink to loud applause. William averted his gaze, and was about to walk away when he turned back to the crowd of party goers, realizing something for the first time. He hadn't been paying attention with all of the rule breaking going on around him to realize it.

He had yet to see Grell show up and make his presence know (most likely with an outrageous outfit to draw attention). William looked around more closely at the others in the room. He knew that Grell had been excited about going to the party. Grell had been even more excited to go when William had, with a long suffering expression, agreed to go to the party to 'observe the sad state of the other departments.'

William looked around the immediate area, but did not see the obvious red among the other more common colors. In a way, the dark-haired man was relieved; he didn't really want to know what Grell had been going to wear. William was worried that it might have been a dress. His mind could barely handle the mental image. It would have been mind blowing to see it in person...on a male. Grell would like the attention he got either way, William supposed.

William shook his head and, after shooting Ronald Knox an annoyed and disapproving glare (Ronald had begun to do a vigorous dance with another shinigami amid rancorous applause) turned and exited the ballroom into the hall. Good, it was quieter now that he was away from the party and the happily drunk. William needed to take a break in a quiet room before going back into _that_. William was about to walk toward the desired room, when he caught a flash of red out of the corner of his eyes.

Was it Grell?

Although he was hesitant, William walked down the hallway for a bit, before stopping and staring at a pillar with a small frown on his face. Why was Grell hiding from him? "Grell Sutcliff...what are you doing?"

There was a moment of silence, before Grell peeked around the pillar at William, wearing an unsure expression. After staring at one another for a minute, Grell managed a very small, tired smile, "Hello, Will."

* * *

Originally this was going to be a one-shot, but got a little bit too long. So I split it into two. I'm editing the last part, so it should be up tomorrow sometime. The next chapter will attempt to be fluff. Let me know how it went? (and if there are any errors I missed).


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter is much longer than the last one, and has just William and Grell in it. I probably could have made it more fluffy, but I didn't want fluff overkill. Let me know if it's too much or too little?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Kuroshitsuji.

* * *

William blinked, noting the subdued tone in the other's voice, and wondered what was wrong this time. Not much could shake away Grell's usually cheerful demeanor, so something must have happened on the way to the party. He was late by about two and a half hours. William silently watched Grell come out from behind the pillar, looking nervous. William immediately decided that something had happened, seeing as his outfit was covered with the red coat he normally wore. Beneath the red coat looked like a...dress, and it looked been torn and rumpled.

Realizing it was Grell in a dress, William quickly checked to see if there were any injuries (none were visible) before quickly focusing on Grell's face. He was not going to let his eyes rove over the dress that the red head wore, mostly because it fit quite well...William mentally shook himself. He needed to focus on the matter at hand. Why did Grell look like he had been in a battle? Yes, anything to get his focus off the dress. Then, a thought occurred to him. William's expression grew stern as he focused on how Grell could have gotten into such a state. A certain someone came into mind. "You went to see that demon, didn't you?" That would explain why Grell looked so miserable.

Grell quickly shook his head, to deny the accusation, "No, I didn't Will...I...I..."

"Sutcliff."

Grell's protests died and he looked away. He couldn't bring himself to lie to William. The other would be able to see through any excuses. Grell let out a sigh and nodded, silently admitting that he had gone to see Sebastian.

So Grell _had_ run into Sebastian. That explained why the redhead's dress was more or less ruined. How Grell had managed to find Sebastian on the way to the party was questionable. After all, the demon shouldn't be out wandering around at night by himself without Ciel. After thinking about it, William deduced that Grell had tried to get Sebastian to go to the party with him, and from Grell's appearance, perhaps because of the dress, the demon had declined. Vehemently.

Grell was waiting silently for William to speak, feeling dejected as he thought of Sebastian's fierce decline of his invitation, and hoped that William wouldn't cast him away as well. It would hurt too much.

For some reason or another, perhaps because Grell had run off to Sebastian first for company, William felt unsympathetic, "The demon obviously didn't appreciate your presence. I don't blame him for saying no." As soon as the words had been spoken, William wanted to take them back, mentally smacking himself.

Grell was teary eyed and looked even more miserable than before. It seemed as though William didn't want him around either. The redhead turned and started to walk away, murmuring distractedly in an attempt to not let William's rejection sink in too much, "I can't go to the party looking like this...good bye, William..."

William watched Grell walk away. Did the ruined clothing really bother him, or was Grell more affected by what he had just said? Why was Grell so subdued? It wasn't normal. Grell would have ordinarily objected to what he had said about Sebastian...William started to follow after the other shinigami. William was angry with himself for having not thought before he spoke. He was also somewhat irked because now that he thought about it, William was almost positive that Grell was part of the reason why he had been chosen to go and be at the party. William wasn't going to let Grell leave so easily.

William caught up to Grell partway down the hall. The dark haired shinigami didn't know what he was thinking as he reached out and clasped a hand over one of Grell's wrists, halting his walk.

Grell stared down at the hand that was grasping his wrist rather tightly. _ 'H...He's holding my hand...' _ Grell's mind prompted, and the redhead continued to stare down at William's hand. The grip wasn't made out of anger...it felt more like desperation. Why wouldn't William let him leave? He was obviously upset that he had gone to see Sebastian, and William had said that the 'demon' didn't appreciate his presence...did that mean William didn't like him around either? Grell tugged at his hand, but William didn't let go. His grip was too strong...

Grell looked at William, searching his face for answers. Why didn't you let me leave? Why did you stop me? Are you going to scold me? Why aren't you saying anything? Please...say something.

William stared at Grell, and knew that the other was waiting for him to say something. Since Grell looked so torn, William decided to be honest. He supposed Grell needed to be reassured, otherwise William wouldn't see him at work for at least a week, maybe longer. It had happened once before. William had found Grell at home, moping around and feeling dejected. It had taken nearly half a day to coax Grell out of the house. William had gotten very behind in work that day, not to mention the massive amount of overtime it had caused...

William felt Grell try to free his hand again, and tightened his grasp slightly, silently telling Grell to stop. William turned his gaze away, unable to look at the other, "You...don't have to go."

Grell looked at William doubtfully, attempting to free his wrist, but still unable to. Grell sighed, "Don't you have to go keep an eye on the others and make sure they don't break any 'rules'? That's why you're here, right?"

"Originally, yes, but I've seen enough. For the time being, I'd rather be somewhere quiet." William responded, and, turning, he started to walk, taking with him a confused Grell. William ignored Grell's soft protests while he walked away from the sounds of the party, and went into a deserted room, where there were a few chairs, a love seat, a couch, and a window seat. William let go of Grell's wrist as he turned and shut the door, further blocking out any noises. When William turned around, he found Grell smiling slightly. "Grell?"

After a quick glance at the love seat, Grell turned his attention to William. With a small smile, Grell asked half-heartedly, "Are you trying to hit on me Will? You're not doing a very good job."

William was silent as he walked over to the window seat that overlooked a courtyard, giving a good view of the starry night sky. "..." He motioned for Grell to sit down, and the redhead came over hesitantly, dropping down onto the seat with a sigh. William sat down a good foot or so away from Grell.

There was silence as both shinigami were preoccupied with their own thoughts. William wondering what the hell he was doing, and Grell worrying that William was mad at him.

William heard Grell mumble something that sounded like 'I'm sorry.' William turned to look at the other, looking puzzled, "What is there to be sorry for?"

Grell turned to look at William in surprise, "I thought you would be mad at me if you saw me tonight."

"Why is that?" William wondered, since Grell hadn't done anything to incur his wrath...yet.

"..." Grell didn't want to say, concerned that William would leave him alone if he said anything. Grell chanced a quick look at William, and found the other waiting patiently for an answer. Grell looked away. It was pointless to make something up. He might as well tell the truth and get it over with. "...I told Ronald that he should ask for you to keep an eye on the party tonight."

William was annoyed, but he should have guessed that it had been Grell's idea to begin with. Seeing Grell's uncertain expression, William shook his head slightly. "The party...hasn't been as bad as I had originally thought. At least for the moment I'm not watching anyone get drunk."

There was another stretch of silence, then...

William stiffened as Grell scooted over and leaned up against him comfortably. William grudgingly put an arm around the other's shoulders, allowing Grell to snuggle more closely. After a minute or so of Grell cuddling, William decided to ask the obviously happy red head a question, "...You were planning for something like this to happen, weren't you?"

Grell clung more tightly to the other man, "If I said I did...would you send me away?"

William sighed, "No, I guess it doesn't matter."

Grell settled more comfortably against the dark-haired man and closed his eyes, enjoying the others' warmth.

"...Do you want to go to the party?" William wondered after nearly ten minutes of silent cuddling. Well, Grell was clinging to him. He just had an arm around the other.

Grell shook his head and buried it against William's chest, "No. I told you my dress was ruined, didn't I? Besides, this is what I wanted."

"This is rather inappropriate." William commented dryly, though he allowed Grell to stay where he was.

Grell noticed this and laughed, "You say that, but you've made no move to push me away." Grell angled his head so that it rested on William's chest.

"I know." William just didn't have a good enough reason to do so. Besides, he'd rather not have Grell become sad again.

"Will~?" Grell questioned, twirling a finger around William's tie.

"..." William grabbed Grell's hand, to stop him from trying to undo his tie.

Undeterred, Grell tilted his head and smiled up at William, "Can I go to your house tonight~? You wouldn't mind a little company, would you?"

"..."

"William?"

William sighed. Of course Grell would suggest something like that. And of course, he should have said no, but didn't, for some reason or another, "Just tonight Grell. I want you back on the job tomorrow."

Grell let go of William and stood up, smiling widely. Sebastian's dismissal was going to the back of his mind with the prospect of actually getting to go over to William's home. Grell was silently amazed that William had said yes without protest. Grell watched as William stood up, and wondered if the dark-haired shinigami was going to just leave the party without leaving someone in charge.

William caught sight of Grell's expression, "There have been other parties like these, so I believe they can take care of themselves." William walked past Grell, "Besides, was it not your intention to have me observe the party so that you could see me?" William glanced over his shoulder at Grell questioningly.

Grell avoided eye contact, "Are we going to your house now then?"

William stopped in front of the door, "Yes. Get moving before I change my mind." William opened the door and exited it, Grell trailing after him.

Leaving the building was quite easy, though William and Grell were oblivious to the fact that the party had ended, and most of the shinigami were either passed out or giggling at those passed out. Ronald Knox would wake a few hours later and find half his outfit gone, and scribbles all over his face.

121

Outside in the cool night, William started down the street, allowing Grell to walk alongside him. William ignored the stares he received from people who were out this late at night. He could guess what they were thinking. What was a man in a suit doing with another man wearing a dress? William could feel Grell leaning up against him whenever anyone went by, presumably to hide his disheveled appearance. Sensing that Grell was calmer than before, William decided to get a question out of the way that was bothering him, "...Why did you go to the demon first?" William turned his head to gaze at Grell, who had suddenly shied away from him a few feet, and was now refusing to meet his gaze.

"Grell?" William frowned when Grell wouldn't look at him, the redhead's green eyes staring straight ahead, a faint scowl on his face. William sighed inwardly. Perhaps he shouldn't have asked. When Grell stopped walking, William turned to regard him with confusion. Seeing that Grell had crossed his arms and was looking away, William assumed that Grell probably hadn't expected him to bring up Sebastian so soon.

After deciding that Grell was waiting for him to say something, William looked away. He needed to alleviate the situation, "...Never mind. I suppose you have your reasons...although, what would you have done if he had agreed? Why would you have wanted me to be at the party when you know that I...disapprove of demons?" William heard an intake of breath, causing him to turn around again. Then prevent himself from showing surprise. Grell was standing in front of him, now wearing a curious expression.

Staring at William for a bit longer, Grell replied tentatively, "Well...I wanted to see you both."

William frowned a bit at this, "You expected both of us to be with you?" He should have known. Grell would have been beside himself with happiness if he were able to be in one place with two people he was crushing on.

Grell shifted his stance and got closer to William, staring at the other as though trying to figure something out. Then, he smiled lightly, "I really wanted to see _you _Will...but I got sidetracked...because I thought I could convince Sebas-chan this time..."

William blinked again then frowned at Grell, "I am not going to be regarded the same as that demon. It is very demeaning to think that you can get my attention the same way as you try with that demon." William took a step back as Grell inched closer, "Really Sutcliff,what is going on in that mind of yours? You can't be with both of us. The whole idea is very highly inappropriate. You'll have to choose eventually..." William fell abruptly silent, horrified with the words that had just come out of his mouth. Now that he was thinking about it, why did it matter to him if Grell flitted after Sebastian? William refused to look at Grell as he realized what he had said.

Grell's smile had widened a bit at the expression William wore, "Will...I wasn't sure before, but...are you jealous that I asked Sebastian first? You know, I did ask you first, in a way, by telling Ron to request for you to go to the party to observe it."

"In case Sebastian wouldn't go with you? I was the back up plan then?" William took a step back, still refusing to look at the redhead.

Grell's teeth showed in an amused smirk as he leaned closer and twined his arms around William's neck, so that they could be face to face. Grell trailed a finger around in a circle, "You_ are _jealous. I didn't think you were capable of it."

"..." William allowed Grell to stay where he was for the moment, trying to think of some comeback that wouldn't encourage the redhead even more. William reached up and untangled Grell's arms from around his neck, and held the redhead at arm's length. William stared at Grell, realizing that the other had some cuts and bruises underneath the dress...William brought his gaze back to Grell's, once he had realized that Grell's dress was cut on the right side enough to show off most of his right leg, "We should get going...you want to get cleaned up, right?"

Grell glanced down at his ruined clothing and smiled ruefully, "Yes, I suppose I should..."

William let go of Grell and started to walk again, "Let's go then. It's getting late."

Grell gazed at William's receding figure, before hurrying to catch up, limping slightly due to the fact that his right leg still hurt a bit. The pain associated with it was momentarily forgotten as Grell was still entertained by the idea that William was trying to deny any feelings of jealousy.

William heard Grell following him at a slower pace, and wondered why he was allowing Grell to go home with him. Maybe he should rethink his decision. Before the thought could go any further, an arm suddenly looped around one of William's, and the dark-haired shinigami felt Grell lean up against him.

"You're not thinking of changing your mind, are you? You promised just tonight, remember?" Grell stayed close, arm wrapped tightly around William's left arm.

William sighed, but didn't respond. Maybe he could get Grell to leave after he cleaned up or something...

Grell prodded William in the arm lightly, "Now, now Will~. Stop trying to think of ways to get rid of me. At least not until tomorrow?"

William kept walking, deciding it was useless to argue.

121

William was relieved when he reached his home. Grell followed him into the house, and William didn't know whether or not to be annoyed when Grell immediately headed for the bathroom. How did Grell know where it was anyway? William hadn't had the other over at his house before. It made William somewhat suspicious, wondering if perhaps Grell had trailed after him one day after work...

"Will~iam."

William shook the unpleasant thought of Grell breaking and entering to spy on him, and with a sigh, decided to see what Grell wanted. William got to the top of the stairs, stopping when he saw Grell leaving his red coat on a coat rack in the hall. And saw Grell's mostly intact dress fully. William twitched, trying not to stare.

Grell sensed that William was looking at him, and turned around in a slow circle to show off the dress, "You should have seen the dress earlier." Grell faced William, winking at him, "So, Will~. What do you think? It fits me well, no?"

Seeing Grell's happy expression, William tried to think of what to do. He answered the question with a distracted, "Yes, it does...it's nice, Grell." William let out a surprised exclamation as Grell threw himself at him, and caught him in a tight hug, apparently too pleased at the praise for words.

William stood quite still, allowing Grell to hug him again. Once it started to get a bit uncomfortable, William spoke, "I thought you were going to get cleaned up?"

Grell reluctantly released William and moved back, smiling. He took a step toward the bathroom, glancing over his shoulder coyly with a hand on his dress, "Would you like to help me out of this, Will~?" Grell watched William disappear into a room without a word. Grell smiled to himself as he slipped into the bathroom. Grell was almost positive he had seen a faint blush when he had made the suggestion. Not that William would ever admit to it.

Grell looked at himself in the mirror, cheerfulness diminishing as he saw the bruises and scratches, with a few cuts he had not noticed before. Grell winced and shifted his weight off his right leg, realizing that it still hurt a bit. Grell sighed, knowing that he had told himself he had known there was a chance that Sebastian would have been violent. Grell shook his head and decided to take care of the small injuries.

121

William had changed into some pajamas and crawled into the bed beneath the sheets. William had two bedrooms in his house, and the spare one was nearest to the bathroom. William assumed that Grell would go to that one once he as finished cleaning up. William enjoyed nearly a half hour of silence, before he heard Grell's voice drift softly from the bathroom.

"William?"

"...What is it?"

"..."

Not hearing a response, William sat up and put on his glasses, before getting out of bed and poking his head out of the bedroom, glancing at the open bathroom door suspiciously, "Grell?"

There was a moment of silence, before Grell's voice came back in a quiet tone, "Will...could you help me? I can't reach a cut on my back..."

William relaxed somewhat at the request, before tensing slightly as his imagination jumped ahead of him.

Grell seemed to sense William's trepidation, and exhaled in an irritated sort of way, "I'm still wearing the dress, you know."

While that really didn't make things any better, William supposed that it was better than the alternative his mind had been trying to entertain. Shaking the thought away, William entered the bathroom, and found Grell looking at him uncertainly. William shook his head lightly at the sight of the scratches, and spoke as he reached out and turned Grell around, "Hold still." William felt Grell attempt to do so, and while he removed the dress from Grell's shoulders to reveal the long cut, he wondered if Grell had been going to ask for help anyway. Focusing on cleaning the cut, William spoke irritably, "Really, Grell. Why do you keep trying to win affection from that demon when he obviously doesn't want anything to do with you?"

Grell looked at his reflection to see William, and sighed, "Sorry, Will...I can't help it..." Grell twitched as William covered up the wound, then made an unhappy whine as William drew away.

William paused, "...What is it, Sutcliff?"

"Um...I think there's something wrong with my leg." Grell smiled sheepishly at the look of annoyance William threw at him.

William shook his head as he keeled next to Grell and checked the leg for breaks, ignoring the faint smile across the others lips. "I don't feel any breaks. It probably twisted the wrong way." William made as if to draw his hands away, when Grell suddenly lunged forward and caught him in a hug. "?!"

"Thank you, William." Grell said softly.

"..." William merely nodded and untangled himself from the other's warm embrace. Before William could move further away, Grell leaned up close and kissed him on the cheek. William grumbled something as he stood up and left the bathroom, "Finish cleaning up, you need sleep as well." Then, as an after thought, William added, "And you may borrow some sleepwear."

"Yes, Will~."

Apparently Grell was happy with managing to get a kiss in that he would do whatever he as told for the moment. Too bad that didn't apply to when Grell was supposed to be working.

William went back into his bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, not bothering to get beneath the covers this time. He was too tired. William didn't feel the bed shift until it was too late, and felt Grell cuddling up against his back, one arm around his waist.

"Good-night Will~."

William was too weary to bother answering, or to tell Grell to let go of him and leave, knowing that Grell expected him to do so. "Grell?" William questioned after a few minutes of silence.

"Hmm?"

"This is what you really wanted, isn't it?" William felt Grell tighten his grasp.

"...yes. Are you mad?" Grell sounded nervous again.

William settled more comfortably in bed, and used his left arm to trap Grell's against his chest, amused when he heard a squeak of surprise, "Not really, although I will be tomorrow if you make me late for work."

"Then go to sleep, Will." Grell snuggled up against William's back more closely, clearly not planning on going anywhere, anytime soon.

All in all, William thought the night hadn't been all bad but he found trying to fall asleep in his bed with Grell very difficult. William heard a light laugh, and a murmured, "Love you, Will~iam." The dark haired shinigami closed his eyes and sighed, deciding now was not the time to be arguing with Grell about his proclamations of love.

Grell drifted to sleep with a content smile when he realized something that made him happy.

William didn't move away. In fact, he seemed to be allowing him get closer.

"...Go to sleep, Grell."

With Grell clinging to him, William found that he didn't mind the other being there with him. It was actually making him relaxed. William fell asleep, doubting he would be getting to work on time tomorrow, but realized that he didn't care.

* * *

I'm working on my fluff writing ability. Hmm, some ooc by the end, but this was entertaining to write. Hopefully it wasn't too long (and I caught any mistakes). My attention span for a willxgrell chapter can be up to 4,000 words, so I tried to keep it around there. I'm wanting to write more one-shots with this pairing, but I'll probably post the Seb./Grell I wrote first.

On an unrelated note, at the end of the scanlated ch. 43, you can see Ronald, William and Grell, along with two other shinigami...I wonder if they'll show up in the manga or the musical. It'd be amusing either way. There should be more shinigami wandering around. More to write about.


End file.
